Association of Serum Symmetric Dimethylarginine Concentrations and Inflammation in Cats.

Background: Serum symmetric dimethylarginine (SDMA) concentrations are higher in some hyperthyroid cats with normal renal function, presumably due to increased protein catabolism.

Objectives: To investigate if SDMA is higher in cats with inflammation (defined as elevated serum amyloid A [SAA]).

Animals: Twenty-eight cats: 12 with elevated SAA concentrations (> 3.

Reevaluating the Role of Education in Cognitive Decline and Brain Aging: Insights from Large-Scale Longitudinal Cohorts across 33 Countries.

Why education is linked to higher cognitive function in aging is fiercely debated. Leading theories propose that education reduces brain decline in aging, enhances tolerance to brain pathology, or that it does not affect cognitive decline but rather reflects higher early-life cognitive function. To test these theories, we analyzed 407.

Reevaluating the Role of Education in Cognitive Decline and Brain Aging: Insights from Large-Scale Longitudinal Cohorts across 33 Countries.

Why education is linked to higher cognitive function in aging is fiercely debated. Leading theories propose that education reduces brain decline in aging, enhances tolerance to brain pathology, or that it does not affect cognitive decline but rather reflects higher early-life cognitive function. To test these theories, we analyzed 407.

Cognitive-Psychological Characteristics Influencing Weight Loss in Severe Obesity.

: Cognitive and psychological factors, such as eating disorder psychopathology, irrational food beliefs, and internalized weight stigma, have not been sufficiently explored in the context of obesity treatment. This study evaluated the role of these variables as predictors of weight loss in patients with severe obesity following a brief intensive cognitive-behavioral therapy for obesity (CBT-OB) program. : A total of 400 patients (mean BMI: 41.

B7-H3 CAR-T cell therapy combined with irradiation is effective in targeting bulk and radiation-resistant chordoma cancer cells.

Background: Chordoma is a slow-growing, primary malignant bone tumor that arises from notochordal tissue in the midline of the axial skeleton. Surgical excision with negative margins is the mainstay of treatment, but high local recurrence rates are reported even with negative margins. High-dose radiation therapy (RT), such as with proton or carbon ions, has been used as an alternative to surgery, but late local failure remains a problem.

TBK1 Targeting Is Identified as a Therapeutic Strategy to Enhance CAR T-Cell Efficacy Using Patient-Derived Organotypic Tumor Spheroids.

Novel therapeutic strategies are needed to improve the efficacy of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells as a treatment of solid tumors. Multiple tumor microenvironmental factors are thought to contribute to resistance to CAR T-cell therapy in solid tumors, and appropriate model systems to identify and examine these factors using clinically relevant biospecimens are limited. In this study, we examined the activity of B7-H3-directed CAR T cells (B7-H3.

Clinicopathological Characteristics and Long-Term Outcomes of Cystic vs. Solid Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumors: A Multi-Institutional Experience with 1727 Patients.

Objective: To investigate the clinicopathological features and long-term outcomes of cystic and solid pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (PanNETs).

Summary Background Data: PanNETs uncommonly present as cystic lesions. Whether cystic PanNETs represent a distinct clinical entity compared to solid PanNETs is controversial.

Spontaneous and perturbation-based EEG cortical excitability markers are associated with plasma p-tau181 concentration in healthy middle-aged adults.

In early-stage Alzheimer's disease (AD) amyloid-β (Aβ) deposition can induce neuronal hyperactivity, thereby potentially triggering activity-dependent neuronal secretion of phosphorylated tau (p-tau), ensuing tau aggregation and spread. Therefore, cortical excitability is a candidate biomarker for early AD detection. Moreover, lowering neuronal excitability could potentially complement strategies to reduce Aβ and tau buildup.

A Case of Canine Sinonasal Aspergillus fumigatus Infection Associated With Intracranial Extension and Temporal Myositis.

A 12-year-old terrier was referred for investigation of a 4-month history of coughing, sneezing and nasal discharge. Clinical findings were consistent with sinonasal Aspergillus fumigatus infection with evidence of intracranial extension on computed tomography. Endoscopic debridement followed by topical clotrimazole and systemic antifungal therapy resulted in clinical improvement.

Investigation of inert gas washout methods in a new numerical model based on an electrical analogy.

Inert gas washout methods have been shown to detect pathological changes in the small airways that occur in the early stages of obstructive lung diseases such as asthma and COPD. Numerical lung models support the analysis of characteristic washout curves, but are limited in their ability to simulate the complexity of lung anatomy over an appropriate time period. Therefore, the interpretation of patient-specific washout data remains a challenge.

Emergency Awake Laparotomy Using Neuraxial Anaesthesia: A Case Series and Literature Review.

Emergency laparotomy is a surgical procedure associated with significantly higher mortality rates compared to elective surgeries. Awake laparotomy under neuraxial anaesthesia has recently emerged as a promising approach in abdominal surgery to improve patient outcomes. This study aims to evaluate the feasibility and potential benefits of using neuraxial anaesthesia as the primary anaesthetic technique in emergency laparotomies.

Impact of repetitive negative thinking on subjective cognitive decline: insights into cognition and brain structure.

Introduction: Individuals with subjective cognitive decline (SCD) express concern about self-perceived cognitive decline despite no objective impairment and are at higher risk of developing Alzheimer's disease. Despite documented links between SCD and repetitive negative thinking (RNT), the specific impact of RNT on brain integrity and cognition in exacerbating the SCD condition remains unclear. We aimed to investigate the influence of RNT on global cognition and brain integrity, and their interrelationships among healthy middle-aged and older adults experiencing SCD.

Fabrication, characterization and numerical validation of a novel thin-wall hydrogel vessel model for cardiovascular research based on a patient-specific stenotic carotid artery bifurcation.

In vitro vascular models, primarily made of silicone, have been utilized for decades for studying hemodynamics and supporting the development of implants for catheter-based treatments of diseases such as stenoses and aneurysms. Hydrogels have emerged as prominent materials in tissue-engineering applications, offering distinct advantages over silicone models for fabricating vascular models owing to their viscoelasticity, low friction, and tunable mechanical properties. Our study evaluated the feasibility of fabricating thin-wall, anatomical vessel models made of polyvinyl alcohol hydrogel (PVA-H) based on a patient-specific carotid artery bifurcation using a combination of 3D printing and molding technologies.

Lifestyle trajectories in middle-aged adults and their relationship with health indicators.

Introduction: Understanding the impact of different lifestyle trajectories on health preservation and disease risk is crucial for effective interventions.

Methods: This study analyzed lifestyle engagement over five years in 3,013 healthy adults aged 40-70 from the Barcelona Brain Health Initiative using K-means clustering. Nine modifiable risk factors were considered, including cognitive, physical, and social activity, vital plan, diet, obesity, smoking, alcohol consumption, and sleep.

Intensive Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Adolescents with Anorexia Nervosa Outcomes before, during and after the COVID-19 Crisis.

Studies comparing treatment outcomes in patients with eating disorders before and during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic have yielded conflicting results. Furthermore, no study has yet evaluated treatment outcomes in adolescent patients with anorexia nervosa before, during and after the crisis. Hence, this study investigated the outcomes of an intensive Cognitive Behavioral Therapy-Enhanced (CBT-E) program on adolescents with anorexia nervosa consecutively treated before (n = 64), during (n = 37) and after (n = 31) the period of emergency spanning 8 March 2020 to 31 March 2022.

The non-pathogenic protozoon interferes with the activation of NLRP3 inflammasome in human cells: new perspectives in the control of inflammation.

Background: Innate immune responses against infectious agents can act as triggers of inflammatory diseases. On the other hand, various pathogens have developed mechanisms for the evasion of the immune response, based on an inhibition of innate immunity and inflammatory responses. Inflammatory diseases could thus be controlled through the administration of pathogens or pathogen-derived molecules, capable of interfering with the mechanisms at the basis of inflammation.

Dynamic trend of lung fluid movement during exercise in heart failure: From lung imaging to alveolar-capillary membrane function.

Background: In chronic heart failure (HF), exercise-induced increase in pulmonary capillary pressure may cause an increase of pulmonary congestion, or the development of pulmonary oedema. We sought to assess in HF patients the exercise-induced intra-thoracic fluid movements, by measuring plasma brain natriuretic peptide (BNP), lung comets and lung diffusion for carbon monoxide (DLCO) and nitric oxide (DLNO), as markers of hemodynamic load changes, interstitial space and alveolar-capillary membrane fluids, respectively.

Methods And Results: Twenty-four reduced ejection fraction HF patients underwent BNP, lung comets and DLCO/DLNO measurements before, at peak and 1 h after the end of a maximal cardiopulmonary exercise test.

An imprint-based approach to replicate nano- to microscale roughness on gelatin hydrogel scaffolds: surface characterization and effect on endothelialization.

Biologization of biomaterials with endothelial cells (ECs) is an important step in vascular tissue engineering, aiming at improving hemocompatibility and diminishing the thrombo-inflammatory response of implants. Since subcellular topography in the scale of nano to micrometers can influence cellular adhesion, proliferation, and differentiation, we here investigate the effect of surface roughness on the endothelialization of gelatin hydrogel scaffolds. Considering the micron and sub-micron features of the different native tissues underlying the endothelium in the body, we carried out a biomimetic approach to replicate the surface roughness of tissues and analyzed how this impacted the adhesion and proliferation of human umbilical endothelial cells (HUVECs).

Disrupting CD38-driven T cell dysfunction restores sensitivity to cancer immunotherapy.

A central problem in cancer immunotherapy with immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) is the development of resistance, which affects 50% of patients with metastatic melanoma. T cell exhaustion, resulting from chronic antigen exposure in the tumour microenvironment, is a major driver of ICB resistance. Here, we show that CD38, an ecto-enzyme involved in nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) catabolism, is highly expressed in exhausted CD8 T cells in melanoma and is associated with ICB resistance.

Interplay between B7-H3 and HLA class I in the clinical course of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma.

Human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class I defects are associated with cancer progression. However, their prognostic significance is controversial and may be modulated by immune checkpoints. Here, we investigated whether the checkpoint B7-H3 modulates the relationship between HLA class I and pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) prognosis.

Investigating the application of "Guttmann Cognitest" in older adults and people with acquired brain injury.

Introduction: Digital solutions for cognitive assessment are currently not only widely used in experimental contexts but can also be useful in clinical practice for efficient screening and longitudinal follow-up. The "Guttmann Cognitest", which includes seven computerized tasks designed to assess main cognitive functions, revealed in a previous validation study to be a potential useful tool to assess cognitive functioning in healthy middle-aged adults.

Method: Here, we present results from a validation in two different populations: one consisting of older adults, and the other comprising young and middle-aged individuals, some of them affected by acquired brain injury.